The Trial of Captain America
by Potat0S
Summary: James Barnes took over from Steve Rogers as Captain America. But nobody except his friends knew his identity, or that he was even alive. Well, and one other person. Alex Anderson, the girl he fell in love with. But when Alex goes to work one day, she overhears something on the news that could change her and James' relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**_Okay, I should just say that yes, this is the same Alex as my OC in 'The Osborn Incident'. Since I began RPing with Alex on Tumblr, I no longer ship Alex and Harry Osborn, but Alex and Bucky Barnes are my OTP, so I thought I'd post the drabble I wrote about them - based on 'The Trial of Captain America' comic book arc - on here :) There'll be some more info about my future plans for fics at the bottom. Enjoy :) xxx_**

* * *

"James, I'm stealing your jacket again."

"Again?" James called from the living room, an amused smile on his face. "You seem to be doing that a lot recently."

"I like your jacket," Alex replied, walking into the room with James's army jacket draped over her shoulders. "It's warm, and it smells like you."

James laughed, moving over to Alex and pulling the jacket closer around her, before pecking her lips gently. "You know what? You keep it."

"What, really?" she asked, looking up at him. "But it's your army jacket."

"Now, it's your army jacket," he winked. "It looks way better on you anyway."

Alex gave him a soft smile, before pressing her lips to his in a deep kiss. "I love you," she whispered."

"I love you too, doll. And, as much as I'd love you to stay, aren't you going to be late for work?"

Alex glance at the clock, and cursed. "Shit, yeah, I am." She gave him another quick kiss, and grabbed her bag from the kitchen counter.

"I thought we could go out for dinner tonight," James suggested as he picked up Alex's phone and put it in her bag for her. "We haven't gone out for a while, and I thought it might be nice."

As she put her jacket on properly and buttoned it up, Alex looked over at James and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds nice." She stepped over to him and gave him one last, long kiss. "Okay, I really have to go. But I'll see you later. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I never do." James grinned cheekily as he kissed her back, lightly tapping her rear. "Have a good day, doll. I love you."

"I love you too," Alex called as she disappeared out of the door, smiling happily.

* * *

Thanks to the speedy running of the New York subway, Alex managed to get to the offices of _The Daily Bugle _on time. Only just on time, but on time nevertheless.

She waved a 'good morning' to Betty, before sitting down at her desk, and groaning at the large stack of proof-reading and paperwork that had been placed on her desk. It seemed to grow bigger every day.

Sighing softly in resentment, she got cracking on it.

* * *

Four hours (and half a stack of proof-reading) later, Alex was chatting with Robbie, Betty, and Ben during their lunch break. As they always were, the television screens were playing various news channels on silent, so that _The Bugle_'s staff could be aware of any breaking news.

The four staff members were paying absolutely no attention whatsoever to any of the screens. Until, that is, another reporter called out, "Hey, look! They're arresting Captain America!"

All the colour drained out of Alex's face. "Turn the sound on," she said, her voice quiet and flat.

Someone flicked the volume up, and everyone in the office turned their attention to one of the televisions, all of which were now playing the same channel.

_"… __shocking turn of events, the identity of the mysterious replacement for Steve Rogers as Captain America has been revealed. An anonymous source has disclosed to the press and police that the new Captain America is, in fact, James Buchanan Barnes. Also known as Bucky, Barnes was Steve Rogers' partner during the Second World War, and he was presumed killed on the same day Rogers originally disappeared."_

Alex could feel tears in her eyes as she listened to the reporter. How had they found out? And why was James in custody? Surely, _surely_ they couldn't know about…

_"__It has also been revealed that Barnes, during the years he was presumed deceased, was an operative of the terrorist group known as Hydra, for which he performed numerous assassinations, among other crimes. Barnes has therefore been arrested for his transgressions. This is Marci Gonzalez, for ABC News, reporting live from the New York City Police Department: Midtown North Precinct."_

Before anyone had spoken, Alex had gone back to her desk, trying not to let the panic she felt show on her face. She quickly shoved her phone and wallet into her pockets, not caring about anything else she left on her desk.

She was halfway to the door when she heard J Jonah Jameson's voice shout her name. "Anderson! Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"To the story, sir," she said quickly, desperate to get to James as quickly as possible.

"Like hell you are!" Jonah barked, and Alex had to bite her tongue not to shout back at him. "Urich and Brant are going, and they've got Parker to get pictures."

"Mr Jameson, I would really appreciate it if you would let me go too," Alex said slowly, forcing her voice to stay calm. "This story is very personal to me, and I- "

"I don't care how personal it is to you, you're not going! Get back to your desk, or you can kiss your job goodbye."

Sometimes, decisions were very easy to make. "Okay. Fine. I'm fired. Whatever." Ignoring the murmurs from some of the employees, the look of shock and outrage on Jonah's face, and his shouts that she was fired, Alex half ran out of the office and down the stairs. She needed to get to the Midtown North Precinct as soon as possible, she had to get to James as soon as possible.

When she got outside, Alex ran straight to the curb and hailed a cab. Though, in reality, it only took about ten seconds for one to pull up, it felt like minutes. As soon as she got in, she almost yelled the address at the cab driver.

* * *

Alex was tapping her foot anxiously during the entire cab ride, looking out of the window in worry.

The cab driver clearly noticed this, but he didn't say anything about it. What he did say, however, was, "You wanna be careful around here, sweetheart, there's some sort of media event happening outside the police station."

"Yes, thank you, that's what I'm here for," Alex replied, though, of course, that wasn't exactly true. When they got nearer to the precinct, the taxi was forced to stop; the road was blocked by news vans, cars, police, and people trying to get a glimpse of Captain America in handcuffs.

"You're gonna have to get out here, sweetheart," the driver called to Alex. "I can't get any further. That'll be thirteen dollars." He raised his eyes in surprise as his passenger handed him a crumpled mess of bills that came to almost forty dollars. But, before he could give her any of it back, she had already gotten out of the cab. Quite happy with his hefty tip, he turned the cab around and drove off.

* * *

Getting through the crowd proved more difficult than Alex had expected. She pushed against the people around her, not caring when some of them objected to her doing so. Sometimes, she had to shout at people to move out of the way, not that she could be easily heard over all the noise. But, through a combination of darting through small gaps between people, and using her elbows to create such gaps, Alex eventually managed to get to the front of the crowd.

And there was James. Being walked out of the precinct, his hands cuffed behind his back, an armed police officer on either side of him, holding his arms. Alex felt tears well in her eyes at his expression. He looked so crushed, so defeated. Before she was even aware of opening her mouth, Alex was shouting his name.

Though there were several people in the mob calling his name, wanting him to turn their way so they could get a picture, James heard Alex's voice as if she were the only one speaking. "Alex? Alex!" He looked around for her, desperate to see her face one more time before they took him to the prison.

When his eyes fell on her, when he saw her tears, James felt like his heart was breaking. He wished he could break away from the police officers and run to her, that he could break the handcuffs and put his arms around her. But an attempt to do any of that would not only get him into even hotter water, but could potentially get Alex into trouble too.

When James's eyes met hers, the tears spilled over and dripped down her cheeks. Her mouth was still slightly open, but no words came out. She didn't know what to say, especially not in front of all these people.

James stopped walking when he was as close to Alex as he could get, and he kept looking at her. "Alex, doll… I'm so sorry," he said, his voice breaking slightly. The police officers pushed at his arms, and he reluctantly began to walk again.

Crying properly now, Alex ran after him. Luckily, people moved out of her way this time, and she stood a few feet behind James as the police led him to a car. Not caring who heard, Alex finally found her voice again.

"I love you!" she cried, desperate for him to hear her. "James, I love you! It's gonna be okay, we'll get you out of this… It's gonna be okay. I- I love you."

Alex couldn't hear what James said, his voice was muffled as he got into the car. But he looked at her out of the widow, and she could make out what he was saying from the shape of his mouth.

"I love you too. I'm sorry."

* * *

As the car drove off, Alex suddenly found herself the centre of attention. Reporters were suddenly crowded around her, asking who was she? What was her relationship with James Barnes? Was she his girlfriend? Wife? Relative? How long had she known him? Had she known he was Captain America? That he was the Winter Soldier?

The onslaught of questions, reporters, microphones, cameras, and more made Alex feel trapped, assaulted. She didn't want to tell these people anything! She didn't want to be here - she wanted to be with James. And she could feel herself panicking, getting more and more upset.

Suddenly, Alex felt someone's hand on her arm. She yelped and turned, thinking it was one of the reporters trying to manhandle her. But it was Peter. He, Betty, and Ben were all standing to her right, and they led her out of the mess of people, taking her over to _The Bugle's _van.

Betty and Peter sat either side of Alex, each of them with an arm around her. They stayed silent, just letting Alex cry as Ben drove them back to the offices of _The Daily Bugle_.

* * *

"Jonah called," Ben told Alex as the four of them stood in the elevator. "He wants to talk to you."

Alex groaned softly, looking in the mirror on the back wall of the elevator in order to wipe the smudged make-up off of her face.

"It'll be alright," Betty said comfortingly, thought Alex didn't know whether she was talking about Jonah, James, or both.

When the elevator arrived, Alex took a deep breath, and walked to Jonah's office.

When she walked in Jonah turned to face her. His usual expression - a mixture of stress, anger, frustration, and irritation - had been replaced by one of sympathy, and something that looked a little like humility.

"Miss Anderson," he started, coughing awkwardly, "About earlier, I didn't… I didn't realise your relationship to James Barnes. And, providing you still wish to work here, you are not fired. Also, while all this business is going on, you'll be on paid leave."

Alex couldn't quite believe it. She knew Jonah had his moments, but this was extraordinarily nice of him. Feeling tears in her eyes again, she managed to choke out a, "Thank you, sir," before turning to leave the office. She managed a weak smile at Betty and Peter, before picking up her backpack again, and leaving the office for the second time that day.

* * *

When Alex got back to her and James' apartment, she went straight into their bedroom, kicked off her shoes, climbed into bed, and pulled the blankets over her head. She had already begun to weep again.

The bed felt big, empty, lonely. And Alex realised she was still wearing James' army jacket. She buried her face against the collar.

It still smelt like him.

* * *

_**Right, so, I know I said there'd be a sequel to 'The Osborn Incident', but, as I said at the top, I find it difficult to write Alex/Harry as a pairing anymore, but Alex/Bucky comes to me very easily. Therefore, I am going to write more stories with Alex, but they will not be Alex/Harry stories anymore. So, yeah, watch this space for my next fic, which I'm going to start really soon, and check me out on Tumblr (my RP blog links are on my author page) :) xxx**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Based on a recommendation from some-one, I'm going to make this into a multi-chapter fic :) Updates will probably be sporadic and infrequent, as I don't want to stress about this fic, so bear with me xxx_**

* * *

At some point, Alex must have fallen asleep. When she woke up, the bedroom was dark, though the curtains were still open. Her glasses fell off of her face as she sat up, tumbling down onto the mattress. Alex switched on the lamp beside the bed, and picked her glasses up and set them on the bedside table.

Next to James' dog tags.

He must have forgotten to put them on when he'd gotten dressed that morning. The metal was cool against Alex's fingertips as she picked them up. Fresh tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back. What use was there in crying? Crying wasn't going to help James.

Not that she really knew how she could help James anyway. She couldn't afford any high profile lawyers, and what small time lawyer in their right mind would want to take on this case? Alex sighed, the small sound surprising her in the silence of the apartment. She would have to appeal to Steve and the others; she couldn't imagine that they would hang James out to dry.

It was then that Alex thought of checking her cell phone. She had turned it off on the way home a few hours before, not wanting to deal with the messages and missed calls from her friends, co-workers, and the journalists who had undoubtedly found out who she was and what her phone number was. Crossing to where she had dumped her backpack, Alex dug out her phone, and switched it on.

Naturally, the device very soon exploded with missed calls, voice mails, text messages, and emails from multitudes of people. She quickly sorted through them, deleting the majority of them. She wasn't about to talk to any reporters, and her friends would understand why she didn't want to talk. But she came across a couple of text messages from Steve. Two of which had only arrived a few minutes before.

**[text: Alex] **Bernie will help. Talked to her earlier, she'll take the case.  
**[text: Alex] **Call when you can. Worried about you.

It took Alex a moment to work out who Steve was talking about, but she soon put it together. Bernadette Rosenthal was Steve's ex-girlfriend, though their relationship had ended on amiable terms. She was also a fantastic lawyer. If she was willing to defend James, then he might have a chance.

Alex almost had to psyche herself up to text Steve back, but she knew that it wasn't fair to just leave him waiting.

**[text: Steve] **Thank her from me. Too tired to talk. I'll call tomorrow.

A few moments passed, but Alex quickly received a response from Steve.

**[text: Alex] **Alright, get some food and some sleep, and come to the Tower in the morning.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Alex knew that Steve was right. She hadn't eaten anything in hours, and she'd be no use to anyone if she didn't get any proper sleep. Sighing to herself again, Alex switched off her phone once more, and walked out of the bedroom.

* * *

Despite staying in bed until almost ten am, Alex didn't feel any more rested than she had the previous night. In all fairness, she hadn't really slept that much. It had taken her a long time to fall asleep, and, when she finally had drifted off, Alex's sleep had been plagued with strange (and somewhat frightening) dreams.

She managed to drag herself into the shower, and Alex pulled her damp hair up into a lazy bun once she had finished. She did little more than to pull on clean underwear, some jeans, an old shirt, and James' jacket, before sliding her feet into her sneakers, not even bothering to tie the laces, and grabbing her bag. She didn't even think about getting any food, she just wanted to get to the Tower and start working on James' case.

As she was about to head out of the apartment, Alex paused, and went back into the bedroom. She picked up James' dog tags from the bedside table again. Alex looked at them for a moment, and then carefully tucked them into the pocket of her jeans.

Alex was both surprised and relieved to find a car waiting outside her building, with Sam Wilson leaning against it. He opened his arms to her and enveloped her in a tight hug. Alex had to try very hard not to start crying.

"We'll get him out," he whispered to her, holding her closely for a moment. "I tried to call you tell you I was coming, but your phone was off. Probably a smart move. There are reporters all around the Tower, and we didn't want you to be subjected to them," Sam explained as he opened the door for her.

Alex nodded her thanks as he got in and pulled her seatbelt on, but she was finding it very difficult to make herself talk.

As the car pulled away from her building, Alex noticed a cluster of people in an alleyway near the end of the street. Judging from the cameras. They were almost certainly journalists.

Sam noticed where she was looking, and grimaced slightly. "We'll get a couple of agents to patrol the street and make sure that no reporters harass you," he promised. "Unless you wanted to stay in the Tower for a while? Just until all of this stops being leading news."

Alex shook her head. "No, I don't want them to push me out of my home." There was a slightly awkward pause, and Alex sighed as she looked over at Sam. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just… I'm stressed."

"Hey, it's okay," Sam smiled, briefly taking one hand off of the steering wheel and patting her knee, doing what little he could to comfort as he drove. "I understand. I think, given what's happening, I'd be more worried if you weren't stressed."

* * *

When the car reached the Avengers' Tower, Sam drove around to the service and goods entrance, avoiding the throngs of journalists and paparazzi outside the front doors. As she got out of the car, Alex hear someone shouting above all the others, and Sam groaned.

"Oh, Clint, man, no… You're going to make everything worse…" On seeing the worry increase on Alex's face, he shook his head a little. "It's okay, we can deal with it later," he said as he led her towards the elevator.

Alex tried to focus on the changing floor numbers, but she could still feel the fear and worry for James growing inside her. She didn't even know where James was. They wouldn't be keeping him in The Raft, would they?

Sam saw her face, and he reached out, giving her hand a squeeze. "He'll be fine," he said gently. "He'll be back in a few days, a few weeks, tops. Everything will be okay."

Had the elevator doors not opened, he would have given Alex another hug, but, instead, Sam walked with Alex to the briefing room, where Steve Rogers and some of the others were waiting.

"Hi, Alex," Steve said with a very weak smile as she and Sam walked in. "Sit down, we're… We're going to sort this out."

Alex took a seat next to Natasha Romanoff, returning the other woman's small nod. While she liked Nat, Alex often felt quite intimidated by her, so it wasn't doing much to help her nerves.

"Alright, Bernie and I are going to talk to him this afternoon, start working on his defence," Steve began, sitting down himself. "Her basic plan is to argue that he wasn't legally responsible for anything that the Winter Soldier did. But we're going to have to be careful, we don't want them to give him an insanity plea, that's not going to help anyone."

Alex opened her mouth to speak, but she was immediately interrupted by Clint Barton bursting into the room with a yell.

"Did you know?!" The question was directed mostly at Tony Stark, but Clint looked at Steve as well. "Did you know what he was when you gave him the shield? Did you know what he did?"

Attempting to calm the situation, Steve stood up again. "Yes," he replied plainly. "Tony knew. I knew before I 'died'. And, if you were thinking straight, you'd know that he never chose to do any of those things; the KGB are to blame."

"You let him wear the flag!" Clint shouted, his face reddening. "Even after you came back, you told him to keep wearing it and carrying the shield, _your _shield! And you knew about all the people he's killed!"

Steve was just about to speak again, but Clint had turned to Alex. "What about you? Did you know?"

There was a silence, and all eyes in the room turned to Alex – who's own gaze was fixed firmly on her engagement ring.

"Yes. I knew. Of course I knew." Her voice was very quiet. "James never tried to hide it from me, he knew he never had to. He told me about the Winter Soldier the moment he knew we were getting serious."

"And you just accepted it?"

"Of course I did!" Her voice rose slightly. "Because it wasn't his fault! He was brainwashed and tortured for God's sake!"

Now that she had found her voice, Alex couldn't seem to stop talking. "Where is he?" she demanded, turning to Steve and blinking back the tears that threatened to form in her brown eyes. "Where they holding James? You said you were going to talk to him this afternoon, I'm coming too."

Another silence fell, and Steve exchanged a look with Sam.

"… What? What are you not telling me?" Alex asked slowly.

Steve sighed. "He's in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn," he said. "But he's being held in solitary confinement. It's for his own safety. Nobody but his legal party is permitted to visit him. I'm sorry, Alex, but you can't see him."


	3. Chapter 3

It hadn't mattered how much Alex had argued. How much she'd pleaded. How much she'd cried, eventually unable to hold back her tears. She wasn't going to be allowed to see James until his trial, and she probably wouldn't be able to talk to him until afterwards. If he was acquitted, anyway. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of them finding him guilty.

The only people who were allowed to see James were his lawyer, and Steve. And Steve was only allowed because he was the Director of the new SHIELD.

Alex hadn't seen the point of staying in the briefing room after that. She wasn't going to be any use to anyone. She couldn't give them any help with the trial at such an early stage and, if she wasn't going to get to see James, then she decided that she would rather be alone.

The slight problem, she realised once she left the briefing room in a huff, was that she had no way of getting home. Not without encountering a gang of reporters, anyway. And so, electing to at least get some fresh air, Alex stormed out onto the balcony.

And, once she was properly by herself, she allowed herself to break down. Sinking down to the cool floor, Alex began to cry, curling up against the glass fence and burying her face in the collar of James' jacket. She reached into her jeans pocket and curled her fingers around James' dog tags, desperate to hold onto anything of his that she had.

She didn't look up as she heard someone sit down beside her, but Alex could guess who it was.

"There has to be some way for me to see him." Alex's tone of voice was caught so where between pleading and demanding as she looked at Sam, tears still trickling down her pale cheeks. "They can't hold him in solitary confinement for the whole trial. I'm his fiancée, he needs me, I have to see him!"

Sam sighed. "Alex, trust me, I'm on your side, and James'. But we have to do as much as possible to make this go smoothly. The deck is already stacked against U.S. and, if we cause a fuss, we risk ruining James' chances of an acquittal before the trial even starts. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Alex opened her mouth to argue back, but all that came out was a small whimper. She knew that Sam was right. Causing ripples in the pool wasn't going to help James. That didn't stop it from hurting that she couldn't even see it. Leaning into Sam when he put his arm around her, Alex closed her eyes to try and quell the tears that threatened. "What the hell am I supposed to do, Sam?" she asked quietly. "How am I supposed to help him?"

"I... I don't know. I'm not going to lie to you, Alex. Right not, I don't know how any of us are going to help him. Bernie's defence is obvious, we all know that James wasn't responsible for the things he did. But whether a jury will accept that... I don't know. Especially as they don't plan to let James on the stand."

"Wait, what?" Alex looked up at Sam in confusion. "They're not going to give him a chance to speak for himself, to defend himself?"

Sam nodded grimly. "I overheard Steve and Bernie talking. Given that James can remember all of it (and we both know that the idiot has a habit of pointing out that he still did those things, even if he wasn't responsible), I can see why they don't want him questioned. But still... It won't exactly help anyone give him a sympathy vote."

Covering her face with her hands for a moment, Alex let out a breath, trying to keep herself calm. "Then how the hell do they think they can win his case? Who are they putting on the stand?"

"I expect Steve will testify. Natasha too, probably. They've probably got some experts on mind manipulation and control lined up, and-"

"What about me?" Alex interrupted. "You said about a sympathy vote. Surely, if they want to make a jury feel sorry for James, I'm the best way to do that. And I'm proof that he's not dangerous, we've been together for a year and a half, and he's never once hurt me."

Another small sigh came from Sam. "I haven't heard them mention you, but I can't believe that they won't put you on the stand. It's not like you and James are a secret anymore, after yesterday. But I don't know."

Alex frowned slightly at Sam. "What? There's something you're not telling me."

"Alex, you... You and James have a similar problem, in that you both seem to... To rush into things without thinking about them. Both of you wear your emotions on your sleeve. And, normally, that's not a bad thing. But if Bernie questions you, then so will the prosecution. And they will know exactly how to push your buttons and twist your words. I'm not a lawyer, and I can already think of at least four different ways that a lawyer could make you look bad in court. You might be too close to this."

"And Steve isn't?!"

"Steve has a better grip on his emotions than you do." On seeing Alex's face, Sam shook his head. "No, that came out wrong, sorry. I mean that Steve has more practice with being objective, he... He won't just say the first thing that comes into his head, which you and James can both do."

While she didn't exactly want to admit it, Alex knew that Sam was right. "... So I won't do that. I'll be careful, but I have to go on the stand. I can help, I know I can. I know that Steve and the rest of you guys can present James as the man he is, but I can show a different side. I can show them how much he is needed, not just as Cap, but by his friends and his family as well. I can show them how much I need him."

Sam simply pulled her closer, and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head so. "I hope you can, Alex. I really do."

* * *

Alex didn't speak to anyone else before Sam drove her home. She knew that it would be pointless, they were all too busy planning the trial, as well as trying to control the media storm that James' arrest had created.

Her apartment felt emptier than ever. And Alex didn't know what to do with herself. An attempt to watch television was quickly dismissed when there were news reports seemingly every few minutes. Mr. Jameson had given her time off work, so she couldn't distract herself with that. She found that she didn't even want to talk to her friends, though there were messages left from them when she checked her voicemail. They were difficult to find through the sea of voicemails from journalists.

But the worst were the people who'd found her phone number somehow, and had left messages condemning James. Condemning her for loving James. Alex could only listen to one or two before she erased her entire voicemail.

Just as she was about to set her phone down and attempt to eat something, it rang. "Steve, I..." Alex began, having checked the Caller ID.

"Hi, Alex? My name is Bernadette Rosenthal, I'm James' lawyer," the female voice said. She sounded younger than Alex would have guessed. "I'm sorry to call you randomly, but Sam told Steve and I how you want to take the witness stand in the trial."

Alex sat down on the couch, mentally preparing herself to plead her case. But, as it happened, she didn't need to.

"I think you're right. What we need is anything that will humanise James. The media who believe he was acting willingly are painting him as a monster, and the ones who believe he was brainwashed are making him look like a machine. And we need to show that he's neither of those things; the best person to do that is you."

Alex interrupted. "I'll do whatever you need me to. I'll say whatever the jury want to hear to make them believe us."

To Alex's disbelief, Bernie laughed a little. "Don't worry, you don't need to do anything more than tell the truth. In what's often a rare occurrence in my line of work, everything we're going to say will be the truth. James is innocent, and all that you need to do to prove that is to tell the court about you and James. We'll go over it before you testify, of course."

"When is the trial?" Alex asked, crossing her fingers that it was soon, that James wouldn't have to wait it out in prison for too long.

"The court want this over with as soon as possible," Bernie explained. "The trial begins on Thursday. There's no way that it will only last one day, so, right now, I'm planning for you to testify on the second day. You'll break up all of the negativity that the court will be hearing, which will not only make you more memorable, but it will make you more empathetic as well."

Thursday. Two days away. They had to prepare a full defence in two days?

"After court is adjourned on Thursday, I'll talk to you about the things you should say, the questions that I'll ask, and the questions that the prosecution are likely to ask. I'm assuming you'll be at the trial on Thur-"

"I'll be there," Alex said, nodding her head even if there was no-one to see her do so. "Bernie, if... When you talk to James, can you tell him I'll be there? I know that he'll know, but... But I want him to hear it anyway."

While she couldn't see the other woman, Alex got the feeling that Bernie was smiling. "I'll tell him, I promise. The trial will start at eleven, so get there plenty of time before. I want you to sit up front, as close to James as possible, so you'll need to get there early. And, while this might sound ridiculous, look pretty. Wear something smart, of course, but make sure you look beautiful. And sad. As disgraceful as it is, the more beautifully tragic you look, the more the jury will be on your side. And be ready - it's going to be a long day."


	4. Chapter 4

_**I am so sorry for how long it has taken me to update, and I think it's unlikely that future updates will be fast or frequent, but I promise that I haven't given up on this fic. I'll finish it if it kills me lol**_

_**Some of the speech in this and future chapters, mostly speech that happens during the trial, is lifted directly from 'The Trial of Captain America' comic book. Also, while I did A-Level law, I've forgotten a lot of it, and the British legal system works very differently to the American legal system, so please forgive me if I make any errors, I'll do my best to research things, but I'm more focused on keeping the story entertaining and flowing than it being 100% accurate :)**_

* * *

For someone who didn't believe that she had ever looked pretty, making herself looking 'beautifully tragic' didn't exactly come easily to Alex. But she did her best. Anything to help James' chances. She showered, of course, and, after electing for contact lenses rather than her glasses, Alex blow dried her hair so that it fell in soft, fluffy-looking curls around her head and shoulders. Pinning back some of her shorter curls at the front so that her face could be seen, Alex then applied more make-up than she usually would, foundation and powder ensuring that her skin looked smooth, and a few coats of mascara followed a thin line of black around her eyes. Choosing a slightly darker pink lipstick than usual, Alex was careful as she coated her lips, making sure that she didn't go outside her lip line.

Given that she didn't have to wear them for work, she didn't own any sort of suit or blazer. And so, she opted for pretty over functional, and put on a light blue dress. A dress that James had bought her just after their engagement. Given how formal it was, she hadn't had a chance to wear it yet. And, while wearing it for the first time ago James' trial didn't sit at all well with Alex, it was the best thing she had. She took James' jacket with her for comfort (although she supposed that wearing it might also help her look sympathetic).

Sharon came with her to the courthouse. But there was no back door that they could enter the building through. And, naturally, there were photographers, news correspondents, journalist, and all manner of members of the public all swarming around the front of the courthouse. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw Sharon sigh, and then give her a supportive smile.

"It's alight. Just keep walking forward, you don't owe anyone here anything. I won't let them get near you."

Despite being a journalist herself, Alex had never experienced the kind of media throng that she was about to walk through. Her articles usually involved working in the background, as most journalism did, doing research, collecting evidence, conducting interviews. In fact, there had only been one occasion where her work had led her into something dramatic...

No. She didn't want to think about that. Not now.

Not ever.

If Sharon's badge or her warnings didn't get people out of the way, her practically venomous glare did the job. Once they were inside the court building, she gave Alex a little more space. "The judge has banned all media presence from the court room, so you won't have to worry about battling against any reporters or press inside," she assured her.

Alex nodded, grateful that James wouldn't have to deal with the press more than she was grateful that she wouldn't have to. They had purposely got there quite early, and the rows in the gallery of the courtroom had only just started to be filled. Sam was already there, and he waved them over to where he was sitting - right at the front on the left-hand side of the room, directly behind where James would be sitting.

Sam gave Alex's hand a little squeeze once she and Sharon had sat down next to him. She appreciated it, but couldn't manage a smile to tell him so. She knew he'd know anyway.

No-one said anything as other people started filing into the courtroom. The press might not have been allowed in, but it seemed that everyone who could get in had done. Ten minutes before the trial was due to start, the room was so full that the ushers were having to almost forcibly turn people away.

"They're already calling it the 'Trial of the Century'," Sharon muttered, sounding audible angry at the notion.

Despite knowing that she probably shouldn't ask, Alex found herself saying, "What… What do people think? I've been avoiding the news, I haven't answered the phone or anything. Do… Do people think he's guilty?"

Sharon and Sam exchanged a look. Neither of them wanted to tell her.

It was Sam who took the blow. "Pretty much every news station seems sure that he's guilty. Even the ones who claim not to be bias are focusing much more on what he did as the Soldier, rather than what he's done as Captain America. Hardly any of them have even mentioned him being brainwashed. We don't know about the public, but… It's not difficult to guess what they think."

It took a few moments, but, eventually, Alex nodded. It was exactly what she had expected to hear, even if she'd been hoping to hear something different. "That doesn't bode well, does it?"

"Actually, I don't think it will matter," Sharon replied, giving Alex a small, supportive smile. "There's no jury, which means we don't need to convince the public. Bernie said the best chance we have at getting James acquitted is in a bench trial; we only need to convince the judge."

Alex's first thought on hearing that was: _couldn't anyone have told me this earlier?_ A bench trial? If they didn't have to get jurors on their side, then James might have a real chance. She just about managed to return Sharon's smile, and squeezed Sam's hand when he felt him hold hers. It could be okay. James might be home in just a few days.

The sound of a door opening in front of them alerted Alex's attention, and she looked over, desperate to see James again. But it wasn't James. Instead, an unfamiliar man entered the courtroom, walking over to the table on the other side of the room. The prosecution, Blake Tower. She deliberately avoided meeting his eyes when Tower surveyed the room before sitting down.

But she looked up immediately when she heard the door open again. Steve walked through first, quickly followed by Bernie. And Alex almost stood up when she saw James, a tiny little gasp escaping her.

He looked terrible.

She was used to seeing him looking tired, but he seemed utterly exhausted. Pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and… Was there a cut on his cheek? And it had only been a few days…

Alex felt tears pricking her eyes when he looked at her, when, despite everything, he smiled at her. A tear spilled over as she smiled back, the movement seeming both effortless and forced, but she wiped it away as quickly as she could. Just because press wasn't allowed in didn't meant that some of the public wouldn't be using their phones to snipe pictures.

After they had sat down, Alex saw James start to turn towards her, but both Bernie and Steve quickly stopped him from doing so. While she was sat less than two feet away, she could hear what Bernie muttered to James. She was tempted to reach out to him herself, but she didn't know if even such a small action would count as contempt of court, and the last thing she wanted to do was to make this worse.

It seemed to take an eternity for the clerk to announce the judge's arrival, and everyone in the courtroom stood as the man walked in, taking his seat before signalling for everyone to sit down.

The trial began almost immediately. "Opening statements," the judge instructed, briefly pausing to explain when he spotted someone in the gallery pull out their phone, "No cameras. I won't have my courtroom turned into a media circus."

"Blake Tower, for the People, Your Honour," Tower began, as he stood up.

Alex tried her best to listen to the Prosecution's opening statement, but her attention kept going to James. There were marks on the back of his neck that definitely hadn't been there before. What had they done to him in prison?

Her attention focused late enough that she only heard the end of Tower's statement. "We intend to prove that James Barnes committed an act of terror on American soil."

It took a lot of restraint for Alex not to rebut that, her eyes darkening.

"Don't," Sam whispered, his voice barely audible. "They'll make you leave if you do."

She nodded, focusing instead on Bernie as she stood up.

"Bernadette Rosenthal, for the Defence, Your Honour." The lawyer's voice was calm and crisp, sounding completely confident of herself and of James. "I'll keep this brief. The Defence intends to prove that not only is James Barnes innocent, but that he's the victim of decades of mind control and manipulation."

Alex heard Tower scoff, but she did her best to ignore it. _It doesn't matter what he thinks_, she told herself. _Right now, all that matters is what the judge thinks_.

Looking up at the older man, his neutral expression gave Alex no information as to what he was thinking. Which, at least, gave her confidence that he wasn't already convinced of James' guilt. It was a start, she supposed.

"Before we proceed, I'd like to submit evidence that's just come to our attention." There was the smallest hint of a smirk on Tower's face as he took the floor again. "And which will refute the Defendant's primary argument."

Alex's eyes widened just as she heard Bernie shout, "Objection!"

At the judge's instruction, both lawyers approached the front. Their conversation was too quiet for anyone but the three of them to hear, but the judge soon called out, "There will be a brief recess while this evidence is considered. The trial will resume in twenty minutes."

Sam escorted Alex out despite her objections. "A breather will help you, trust me."

"What evidence have they found?" Alex asked when they got outside the courtroom.

"I don't know, Alex, I'm sorry, but they'll…" Sam trailed off as they walked passed a waiting area, in which a television screen was showing some breaking news. "Shit."

On the screen, captioned by the words _Breaking News: The Red Skull's daughter reveals courtroom bombshell_, was Sinthea Schmidt. Even without the captions, it would be simple to recognise her, given the burns and scars covering her face that she had received in her last fight with James and the Avengers. Someone had turned the sound on, and the entire room was watching, Alex and Sam looking at the screen in horror.

_"__It was all a trick, a set up,"_ Sin spoke, her voice gravelly, but clear. _"Barnes was my father's operative for years. They claim he was brainwashed, but it's a lie. The Russians just turned him."_

The channel flicked to a different news station, running the same story, the newsreader speaking, _"… interviews conducted well before the new Captain America's identity, and his dark history, became public."_

A cut to Sin's interview, clearly further on than the first clip. _"Him saving the President, claiming redemption, it was a fake. Daddy didn't want his own President… He wanted his own Captain America."_


	5. Chapter 5

The twenty minute recess wasn't a twenty minute recess. The clerk didn't even bother to call people back into the courtroom, there was simply an announcement made that the trial would resume the next morning.

Sam was grumbling something about why they couldn't have just said that in the first place, when Steve interrupted them.

"Alex, Bernie needs to talk to you about tomorrow."

Alex paled slightly. She had forgotten about her taking the stand the next day. But she made herself nod.

"I'll wait with the car," Sam promised her, not wanting her to have to go home alone.

Steve walked with her to a side office in silence, not quite knowing what to say to her. He couldn't give her any real words of assurance, she'd seen James, she knew that he was hardly okay. But, on seeing her face fall even further when they got to the empty office, he realised why she had been quiet.

"They've already taken him back to prison," he said quietly, putting an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I should have said before."

"It's okay," Alex mumbled, her words barely audible. "I didn't really think he would be here, I just…"

"I know. I'm sorry."

The silence that followed was interrupted when the office door opened, and Bernie walked in. "Sin's tape isn't admissible," she informed them, visibly relieved. "The judge decided it violates doctor/patient confidentiality."

While relieved at the news, Alex couldn't bring herself to smile. Sitting down when Steve escorted her to a chair, she took the curls that she had pinned up that morning, and ran her hands through her hair a few times.

Bernie sat opposite her, and gave her a soft, warm smile. "We're not going to keep you on the stand for very long tomorrow. You're going to prove that James, as himself, isn't capable of doing the things they made him do as the Winter Soldier. And all you need to do to prove that is tell the truth. I'll ask you about how you met, perhaps some significant moments in your relationship, but mostly about how he makes you feel. Why you need him. I'll apologise in advance, it's likely to get quite personal, but it will help us to humanise James so much. And, remember, it's only the judge that needs convincing. Only one person. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

Nodding gently, Alex made herself look at Bernie. "What about the Prosecution? Do you know what he's going to ask?"

"No, we won't know that until he questions you. But, given that we're going to be asking you simple, personal questions, it will be almost impossible for him to trip you up. Just tell the truth. Let people see how much he means to you, how good a person he is."

Despite Sam's offer that she could stay in the Tower, Alex had chosen to go home. While being in the Tower would have meant more people around, she felt much closer to James in their apartment.

It wasn't an easy night. Tears, silence, nightmares… And the nightmares were so much worse without James there to comfort her. He knew better than anyone what it was like to be plagued by dreams of the past, by horrors that had already been and passed, but would never seem to go away.

* * *

Alarms were sounding at the _Kurtzberg Institute for the Criminally Insane_. Not that it mattered to Brock Rumlow. He hardly cared about collateral damage, after all. As far as he was concerned, it would be better to ensure that everyone in the institute was dead, but he had a job to do.

He didn't even need to threaten Sin's cell number out of the guard on the front desk. The man gave it up the moment he saw the gun, saw the blood on Rumlow's hands. His loose lips didn't help save his life, however, the gunshot echoing out through the reception area, now empty save for the few bodies littering the floor.

A grin formed on Rumlow's face as the door slid open, and Sin walked out. The scars and burns didn't matter to him. As he'd told her once, scars only made her more beautiful.

"Brock…"

Her voice was much lower and gravellier than the last time Rumlow had heard it, but that didn't matter either. "Sorry we're late, I had to organise a little prison break first," he smirked, stepping forward and pulling her closer. His lips met her rough, scarred ones. "Been a long time."

"Am I beautiful?" Sin asked him, a matching grin on her face.

She seemed older, more mature. It suited her. "As beautiful as a mushroom cloud," he replied as he lifted her easily.

"Okay, then…" Sin muttered, her orders plain and commanding despite her weak body. "Let's get out of here. I swear this place was making me crazy."

* * *

Alex's tiredness showed in the morning, Sharon frowning when she met her outside the courtroom.

"You don't have to do this by yourself," Sharon reminded Alex gently as they took their seats in the gallery. "Nobody expects you to do that."

"I know," Alex replied quietly, checking her appearance in the phone screen. She couldn't have cared less how she looked, but Bernie had reminded her that while, of course, she needed to look sad, she also needed to look appealing. Innocent. Vulnerable. On Bernie's advice, she'd worn her hair as she had yesterday, and changed her glasses for contacts so that there was nothing obscuring her face.

As everyone filed in to the front of the courtroom, Alex's eyes widened in distress when she saw James. He looked even worse than he had the day before. He clearly had slept much either, and there was a fresh bruise on his chin, and a deeper cut over his eyebrow.

Still, he smiled at her when their gaze met, although it didn't quite reach his eyes this time.

The trial resumed swiftly, with the Prosecution calling their first witness. A former KGB agent who had been involved in the Red Room. But Bernie didn't seem the slightest bit worried when her moment to question him came, breaking apart the agent's comment about James being a 'very effective operative' with one simple question: "Mr. Ludovich, were you aware of any mind control experiments in this Red Room programme?"

A question which was met with a very telling answer, a nervous expression and a little squeak of: "Um…"

The next witness didn't help the Prosecution much either. An ex-Kronas soldier of Aleksander Lukin's – James' final handler – who told the court, "That man, Bucky Barnes, set the bomb and switched the detonator."

But it hardly took a minute for Bernie to remind the court of the soldier's past. "Let me just see if I've got this straight. You were part of a plot to bring down the entire U.S. economy and assassinate our next president?"

Had she still not been so horribly worried about why James was looking so beaten, in addition to what would happen to him if found guilty, Alex might have smiled at how easily Bernie was countering the Prosecution.

* * *

Alex bit her lip when she was called, standing up shakily after Bernie said, "Your Honour, the Defence calls Alexandria Anderson to the stand." Hearing her full first name hardly helped her nerves.

There was a little bit of mumbling from the public as she walked up to the stand, but the judge quickly silenced it with a bang of his gavel.

After she was sworn in, Bernie started Alex's questioning promptly, her tone far softer than it had been when cross examining the previous witnesses. "Miss Anderson, could you please tell the court when and how you met James Barnes?"

Alex had to clear her throat before she could speak, her words seeming to get stuck at first. "We met just over eighteen months ago. Before he was Captain America." She felt a little embarrassed telling the story of how she had met James, it seemed so cliché and ridiculous when told to strangers. "I was on the subway, coming home from work, and the train lurched. I lost my balance; my bag was pulling me to one side, and James caught me as I stumbled. I thanked him, we started talking, and we just… clicked, I guess. He even got off at my stop to walk me home because it was dark out." A tiny smile had formed on her face, and her gaze flicked to James. "When he asked me to dinner, I think I said yes before he'd even finished his sentence."

Her eyes briefly flicked up to scan over the room. Most of the people in the gallery seemed fairly neutral, although there were a couple smiling at her story, and one or two looked as if they didn't believe a word she was saying.

"Did you know about his past as the Winter Soldier before it was revealed by the press?" After Alex mumbled a 'yes, Bernie asked, "How far into your relationship did you find out?" making a little motion with her hand to tell Alex to speak louder.

Sitting up a little straighter, Alex answered, "It was less than a week after we started dating. He said it wasn't fair for him to keep that a secret, in case it changed what I thought about him, or in case it ever put me in danger."

"And, in the time you have been involved with him, has James ever given you a reason to be frightened of him?"

"Never, not of him."

Bernie smiled encouragingly. "Thank you, Miss Anderson. No more questions, Your Honour."

"Your witness, Mr. Tower."

"Miss Anderson, you said that Mr. Barnes has never made you frightened of him. Does that mean he has frightened you in other ways?" Tower asked, looking almost accusatorily at her.

Alex's eyes met James' for a moment as she thought. "It's not as simple as that. James hasn't frightened me, no. But what he does frightens me. Him being Captain America, helping and protecting people the way he does, it's fantastic, and I'm really proud of him, but… But I've seen him hurt so many times. I've seen him with broken bones. I've seen him drugged. I've seen him in so much pain that he can barely move. That's what scares me. I'm terrified than one day, he… He just won't come home…"

"Do you want a family, Miss Anderson. Children?"

Taken aback by the question, Alex blinked for a moment. "Y- Yes."

"Surely, you can't believe that this man, who has murdered and tortured countless people, will make a suitable father? That he is even safe to have around children?"

Bernie stood up. "Objection, Your Honour; leading the witness!"

There was a pause as the judge considered. "I'll allow it. Answer the question, Miss Anderson."

Again, it took Alex a few moments to answer. Not because she didn't know how to, but because she needed the time to collect herself, angered by Tower's question. "He didn't choose to do those things. I've never doubted that. And I've never doubted how kind, caring, and loving he is. James has shown me love I never thought I would deserve, and I know that, when we have children, he'll be the best father to them. He's protected the country, he's protected me and the people I care about. He's… He's the best person I know."

As she looked at him again, Alex saw James smiling softly, lifting his flesh hand to wipe a tear from his eye.

Tower looked as if he were trying his hardest to find something he could catch her out on, but he seemed to give up. "No more questions, Your Honour," he said, Alex catching the beginnings of a scowl on his face as he turned away from the judge.

On her way to her seat, Alex walked by James as slowly as she could, wishing that she could reach out to him. But she did the only thing she could – she smiled tenderly, and quickly mouthed: _love you_.

Once she was seated again, the judge considered for a moment, and then said, "Alright, we'll take a short recess, we will resume in half an hour."

Once outside, both Sharon and Sam gave Alex a hug.

"That was brilliant," Sam told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Do you really think I helped? I felt like I was talking too much, and I sounded so awkward, I probably -"

Sam interrupted her. "Alex, you did great. Honest." There was a pause, and then Sam smirk slightly. "Is that really how you met James? How have I never heard that story?"

While still very tiny, Alex managed to smile again. "Yeah, it is. It sounds lame, I know, but it was one of the best days of my life."

"Dork," Sharon grinned, before leading them in search of some coffee.


	6. Chapter 6

_**I'm slapping a huge trigger warning on this chapter for the flashback that makes up most of it. Nothing **_**actually_ happens but some really nasty stuff is threatened, so please be warned and be careful xxx_**

* * *

"Next witness for the prosecution."

"Your Honour, the prosecution calls Norman Osborn to the stand."

A ripple of murmur went through the crowd. But Alex didn't hear it. She didn't hear Sharon whisper, "Osborn?", or Sam grumble, "Great, now we have to listen to this asshole."

She didn't even notice James breathe, "Oh God...", or him turn in his chair to look at her.

It felt like she was in a tunnel, like there was nobody else in the room than her. Her and Norman.

The side door to the courtroom opened, and, flanked by two guards, Norman entered the room. The orange jumpsuit and handcuffs did nothing to make him look less intimidating.

Alex took in a sharp breath, but it felt as it got caught in her throat and never reached her lungs. Two words were being repeated over and over in her head, _He's here, he's here, he's here, he's here..._

As he walked to the stand, Norman looked around the courtroom, surveying the people sat before him. And, when he locked eyes with Alex, a sick smile formed on his lips. And Alex could swear that she heard him chuckle to himself.

He wouldn't be there long. He would answer a few questions. And then he'd go, they'd take him back to prison, back where he couldn't hurt her.

Both Sharon and Sam were too preoccupied with the start of the questioning to notice the frightful tears that were falling down Alex's face.

"Mr Osborn, during your time as the Director of H.A.M.M.E.R., were you aware of James Barnes' identity as Captain America?"

"Towards the end of my time, shortly before Steve Rogers returned to us, I became aware of Barnes' identity, yes." Norman's tone was level, polite, but Alex could hear the amusement in it. "I only knew he was alive after seeing him without his mask on, face to face."

"So, there was no official evidence that Barnes was alive in SHIELD files?"

"None whatsoever. It was my understanding that Nick Fury and Tony Stark destroyed all SHIELD records of Barnes' history at the wishes of Steve Rogers."

Alex couldn't breathe. Norman might have been across the room, but it seemed like he was right in front of her. She could almost feel his hands on her. She hid her face in her hands, shuddering slightly as she desperately tried to hold herself together.

"Alex?" the whisper came from Sam. "Alex, what's wrong?"

Her voice was nothing more than a terrified whimper. "Don't let him hurt me..."

"What?" Sam put his arm around her, leaning closer. "He's not going to hurt you, Alex, why would he?"

"Miss Anderson?" The judge was looking at the three of them. "Are you alright?"

Alex looked up. Norman was looking right at her, that smile still on his face. "Hello, Alexandria."

* * *

**Three years ago**

Alex hadn't been in the underground labs before. Though she'd been to Oscorp many times before, the laboratories below the structure had always remained a mystery. Until now.

If she wanted that job with _The Bugle_, she would need to show Mr. Jameson a good article, something interesting, maybe even something ground breaking. And, having seen some of her father's notes on an abandoned Super Soldier Serum project, Alex thought she might just be onto something big. Oscorp had been working on replicating the Captain America Serum and, judging by her father's notes, they seemed to have been close when the project was abandoned.

Alex felt more than a little guilty that she had had to swipe Harry's key card in order to access the lower labs. She knew that she could get it back to him before he would know it was lost, but she still felt bad. Like she had betrayed her best friend's trust.

Walking through the empty, white corridor, it seemed odd to Alex that there was nobody else there. True, it was after six o'clock, but she had assumed she would find other people down there. She couldn't complain, though, it certainly made it easier that she didn't need to use the lame excuse she had at hand – that she was looking for her father down there.

Alex could hear her footsteps echoing through the empty corridor. She tried each door she passed – all locked. The laboratories down there were all older than the rest of the building, they had clearly been ignored when Oscorp had been remodelled. The doors didn't have keycard access, they all needed actual keys. Keys which Alex had no way of getting.

As she approached the room at the end of the hall, Alex noticed something. The wood around the lock and handle was splintered; the door had been forced before, and not fixed properly. When she reached out and grabbed the handle, the door rattled. It only took a few shoves for the lock to give way, and the door swung open. The creak rang out through the corridor, making Alex wince.

Her phone light helped Alex find the light switch. And she audibly sighed in disappointment when the lab was illuminated. There was almost nothing in it, save for a dusty desk in the corner, and a filing cabinet on the opposite wall. But the drawers of the cabinet were open, and Alex could see that they were empty. A bookcase also stood on the wall next to the filing cabinet, but there were no files or notebooks on it, just leather bound books that all looked to be at least a decade old. From before the Serum project had been started.

Determined not to leave with nothing, Alex ventured further into the abandoned laboratory, using her phone again to search shadowy corners of the room. Nothing but dust. Grunting quietly in frustration, she checked the desk. Nothing on the surface, nothing in the drawers. As a last ditch try, Alex crossed to the bookcase. Her first thoughts had been correct, the bound books were records of old experiments, the names and dates of each written on the spine.

But, just as she started to turn away, Alex noticed something. As with most of the room, the majority of the books were coated in dust.

Except one.

Looking closer, Alex realised something else. While the name of the experiment held no meaning for her, the date of it was the day that Harry's mother had died.

Curious, Alex took hold of the book's spin, thinking there might be relevant files or notes hidden inside. She pulled, and the book got halfway out, before it got stuck, and Alex heard a clicking noise.

With a soft swish, a panel in the wall to her right slid open. A secret door.

An actual secret door.

Alex's mouth fell open and, for a moment, she was stunned. Part of her brain told her that she should definitely not go in there. But it was drowned out by a much louder part, driving her forward and through the door.

Using her phone once more, Alex found a staircase. She ventured down it, the darkness around her increasing as she got further from the door.

Once she got to the bottom of the stairs, she only had to take two steps before automatic lights suddenly turned on, brightly lighting the large room. Alex gasped when she saw the items that littered the shelves and counters.

Spherical, orange grenades. A torn glove that gave off occasional sparks. Tinted green metal throwing spikes. And, on the far wall, a glider.

Alex looked around the room wildly, as if looking for an explanation, an excuse. But the answer was already becoming clear to her. Automatically, she began to walk forward, approaching the door opposite. Alex didn't know if she was looking for more, or looking for a way out. She wasn't really conscious that she was walking at all.

Her hand grasped the handle. Unlocked. She pulled. The door swung open.

Alex staggered backwards as the manic smile of the Green Goblin greeted her. Too petrified to even scream, Alex was frozen to the spot.

The Green Goblin was an Oscorp employee. She had to tell someone, tell Harry, tell Mr. Osborn. She could suddenly feel her legs again, and Alex turned, aiming to flee the room.

But she collided with something. Someone. Alex looked up to see the face of Norman Osborn himself glaring down at her.

"M- Mr. Osborn, I found…" Alex trailed off as her brain pieced it together. How else would he know about the lab, the hidden door?

Her best friend's father was the Green Goblin.

Before Alex could move, a hand had grabbed her chin, and her feet were off the floor.

"Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, I see." He sounded almost amused.

"I wasn't… I didn't…" She couldn't complete her thought before he threw her against the wall, a cry of pain leaving her.

Norman strolled over to her, pulling her to stand and crowding her against the wall. "Shhh…" he cooed, running a hand through her hair. There was something so… wonderfully innocent about her. So alluring…

The tiniest of whimpers came from Alex as she tried to pull away from him, but the grip on her arm was so strong that she could barely struggle at all. "Let go, please, l- let me go!"

There was silence for a few long moments.

And then Norman leant closer, dragging his lips along her jaw to her ear. "Inquisitive little thing, aren't you?" The chuckle was still in his voice.

Alex felt numb, senseless, like she wasn't really there at all. She wished to God that she wasn't there. That she couldn't feel his lips against her ear or his body up against hers. It was getting scarier and scarier by the second, this wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening, because this was _Harry's dad_, this was a man she'd known since she was seven years old, and he was up against her, and his hands were on her waist now but she was still too frightened to move.

And then he bit her neck. It didn't hurt but Alex cried out anyway, feeling seeming to rush into her body as she suddenly started to struggle, her hands pushing at his chest as hard as she could as a scream rose in her throat.

But Norman's hand was on her mouth before the noise could escape, and Alex froze again, and his green eyes bore into hers. Had he always had green eyes? They were deep and sickly. They were gleaming. Gleeful.

"No. No noise from you. You don't get to talk."

She could feel the heat of his breath on her face.

"In fact…" The quality of Norman's voice had changed. He sounded calm. Thoughtful. "It's your lucky day, Alexandria. You find me in a… playful mood. I'm not going to kill you. Not yet, anyway. I'd like to. I can think of a thousand wonderful ways to end your life. But that's not quite enough for me. You… There is something more that you can give me."

She felt sick. She felt weak, and feeble, and utterly petrified.

"Oh, not yet. I'm giving you a chance, my dear." His lips were at her ear again. "I'm giving you what you want. I'm going to let you go. You're going to be such a good girl for me, aren't you? Because, if you aren't good, if you tell anybody about any of this, I will take exactly what I want from you. I know few people will notice if you simply disappear. Harry, perhaps. Your employers. But they'll forget, and they'll move on. And you'll be all mine. We'll have a lot of fun together, Alexandria, I can promise you that."

He drew back and, for one awful moment, Alex thought he was going to kiss her.

But, instead, Norman stepped back entirely, his hands leaving her, although his eyes remained locked on hers.

"I will know if you tell. I'll be watching you, Alexandria. Be good, or, I promise you, I will have every inch of you, you will be mine." He grinned. "And I never break my promises."

Alex stayed still, frightened that, if she moved even an inch, he would lash out at her. But then she was running, running through the lab, up the stairs, through the corridor, fumbling with Harry's pass to activate the elevator. She could hear him laughing, hear a cackle echoing below her. Was it really there, or was she imagining it? She got out of the Oscorp building as fast as she could, Norman Osborn… The Green Goblin's cackle still ringing in her ears…


	7. Chapter 7

She couldn't do it. She couldn't stay, she could be in there with him. Alex stood up, moving to the end of the row as calmly as she could.

But she heard Norman speak again. "Are you alright, my dear?"

And it all got too much for her. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees, unable to breathe, unable to move as the panic gripped her.

James was on his feet the moment she fell, ignoring the calls for him to sit down. "Shut up!" he shouted at Norman. "You don't get to talk to her, you don't get to look at her after what you did, what you tried to do!"

"Mr Barnes, your friends can help Miss Anderson. Sit down, or I will find you in contempt of court!"

"Fine," James grunted, "Then I'm in contempt." He pushed the bailiff out of the way and walked through the gate. Ignoring all the eyes on him, he knelt down in front of Alex and gathered her into his arms, running a hand through her hair as she hid her face in his chest. She was shaking horribly.

"He won't touch you, he can't get to you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head gently. "I promise that I won't let him anywhere near you. You're safe, sweetheart, I promise you."

Both Bernie and the bailiff were shouting at him to get back in his seat, Norman was laughing, Steve was trying to reason with the bailiff, and there were shouts and confusion from the people watching.

But the banging of the judge's gavel could be heard above it all. "Shut up!" he shouted. When there was silence, he sighed. "There will be an hour's recess, during which Mr. Osborn will be questioned with only his guards, the clerk, the prosecution, the defence, and myself present."

As the bailiff moved towards James, the judge raised his hand. "Mr Barnes will be removed to a side room, and Miss Anderson will be permitted to go with him, with a guard stationed outside the door."

James didn't need to be told twice. He lifted Alex into his arms, still holding her close. "We're going away from him now, it's alright," he said softly to her, following the guard out of the courtroom, and into a nearby office.

Once they were alone, James sat down on the floor, and just cradled Alex for a moment as she started to sob. "They're not going to let him near you, sweetheart," James said, his voice calm and caring, though worry laced it. He ran one of his hands through her hair, while his other arm kept her close to him.

"He was there, he was right in front of me, I thought I wouldn't ever have to see him again…" Alex's voice was muffled against James' chest as she curled into him, the sobs making her words shake.

James pressed a few gentle kisses to Alex's hair. "I didn't know he would be here, I swear to you. But, once they've finished questioning him, they'll take him back to prison. He'll be locked away, he'll never touch you again."

Her sobs starting to quieten, Alex sniffed as tears continued to drip down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, James. Oh God, what… What if I've ruined everything? Fuck, I broke down in the middle of your trial, what if that influences what the judge thinks?" She looked up to see a little smile on James' lips.

"It won't. He understands. I mean, he let me and you come here, didn't he? I don't think he'll hold this against me."

Alex managed to form the tiniest little laugh, but her eyes were still wet and glassy. "Maybe he'll see how fucking pathetic I am and acquit you so you can look after me."

Cuddling her even closer, James shook his head. "As if you don't look after me as well," he smiled, kissing her head again. "You're not pathetic, Alex, nobody would think that. Osborn's a monster, nobody will condemn you for panicking." He looked down at Alex, using the hand that had been in her hair to wipe some of her smudged make-up off with his thumb.

They were silent for a moment, just looking at each other. It was the first time that they had been alone together since James had been arrested. And, while, in reality, it had only been a few days, it felt like a lifetime.

The smile returned to James' face. "Hi," he said, helping her to sit up better.

"Hi," Alex said back, a little laugh in her voice. She lifted her hand to stroke a finger under a mark on his cheek. "Oh, James… Sweetheart, what did they do to you? I thought they were keeping you in solitary for your protection, so how-"

He cut her off. "Guards." James was shaking his head gently. "Some of the guards attacked me after they took me back to me cell."

"Both nights?"

James nodded. "Different guards. But I'm okay, really. I can take a few hits, and I didn't fight back, so I'm not in any more trouble." He stole a quick kiss, and kept his face close to hers. "What about you? You look so tired, Alex. Are you eating? You're so pale…"

Alex thought for a few moments. Had she been eating properly? She couldn't remember. "I… I think so… Maybe. I can't remember, I've been so worried."

"Doll, you've got to try and look after yourself," James sighed, biting his lip. "I'm going to be okay, whatever happens, I'll find a way through it."

He was a much better liar than Alex was, but she could still see straight through him. She could see how frightened he was. Alex put her arms around him properly, holding him close.

"He'll acquit you," she said, surprising herself with how sure of that she sounded. "He'd be a monster to find you guilt. This will be over in a few days, you'll come home, and we'll have our life again."

James nodded, hiding his face in her shoulder, even though they both knew it wouldn't be that simple. More people would target James now. More people would target Alex to get to James. They could try, but things would never be quite the same as before.

"You'll be home soon," Alex spoke, pulling back and cupping his face in her hands as they looked into each other's eyes. "I love you. I love you so much. I'll be waiting for you for as long as they keep you away from me, no matter how long that is."

James opened his mouth to argue, to say that she couldn't spend her life waiting for him if he wouldn't ever come back, but a knock on the door interrupted him.

"We're reconvening," the guard told them as she opened the door.

Neither of them moved for a while, but James eventually stood, helping Alex to her feet as well. He looked at her, lifting his hand to try and clear up her make-up again. "You might want to visit the bathroom, baby doll. You still look beautiful, but I don't think Bernie would be too happy if you came back in with mascara down your face," he joked, but there was a crack in his voice.

Alex forced herself to laugh, forced the fresh tears away from her eyes. "I love you," she said softly. "I love you so much, and it's going to be okay.

"I love you too," James whispered, leaning forward and capturing her lips in a deep and almost desperate kiss. "I love you, I love you."

The guard stepped towards them, and James diligently went with her, Alex following behind. She stopped off at the ladies' room and washed her face a few times, clearing up the make-up she'd cried off, before heading back into the courtroom.

* * *

There was no real headway made that day. After what had happened, both lawyers, the judge, and even the spectators looked exhausted and distracted. Court was adjourned within almost thirty minutes of it resuming. Before leaving, Alex caught James' eye, and managed the tiniest of smiles. But the smile fell from her face the moment she left the courtroom.

"Alex?"

On hearing Bernie's voice, Alex turned around, stepping to the side so she didn't block the flow of people in the corridor.

"I'm sorry to stop you, we'll be quick, I promise." Bernie was sanding with the judge from James' trial.

"Miss Anderson, regarding what happened earlier with Norman Osborn…"

Alex could practically feel the blood draining out of her face.

"We didn't question Mr. Osborn about it, as it is not directly related to this trial, but I wanted to ask you. It's obvious that the two of you have a history, is that something that you want to talk to the police or another authority about?"

There was a long silence between the three of them. Alex didn't know what to say. What did she want? Would she get a sense of closure, perhaps, if Norman was prosecuted for what had happened?

Somehow, she didn't think so.

"No." Alex gave a little shake of her head. "No, he's… He's locked up. He's already in there for life. I don't… I don't want to go through it all again. He's gone, that's good enough for me."

Was it?

The judge seemed to frown at her for a moment, but soon nodded. "Alright, it's up to you. If you change your mind, however, I would be happy to give you the names of some very good detectives, they would be very capable of handling any further evidence or accusations brought towards Mr. Osborn." He gave her a nod, and the beginnings of a smile, and then turned to leave.

Bernie looked at Alex for a few moments, and then pulled her into a quick hug. "Do you need anyone to take you home?" she offered.

Shaking her head again, Alex responded. "No. Thanks, Bernie, but… I think I could do with the walk. I think it'll do me some good."

Bernie's expression was a little doubtful, but she didn't say anything to back that up. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Alex. Get some sleep, it'll be another long day."

* * *

It was already getting dark, but Alex didn't mind that much. She preferred the morning to the evening, but, even now, there was always something magical about Manhattan at twilight. The sky was a mixture of blues, pinks, and oranges, the streetlights were just coming on, and the lights of stores and theatres started to shine brighter.

She walked up Broadway until she reached the Flat Iron Building (and, for a moment, she considered going into _The Daily Bugle _offices, if for nothing more than a touch of normality), moving to streets further west when the tourists got too much for her.

She was near the centre of Hell's Kitchen, less than five blocks from her apartment, when a man approached Alex.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" He had a strong Southern accent and, as if that wasn't enough, his status as an out-of-towner was cemented by the _I __New York _fanny pack he was wearing, with both his wallet and phone clearly visible. "I think I'm lost, could you show me how to get to the Empire States Building?" He was holding a map of Manhattan, which he gestured towards her with.

Forcing a smile, Alex stepped closer, standing next to him so she could point on his map. "Okay, so, you've got to keep walking down this street until you get to Thirty Fourth Street, and then you just take a left, and it's only a couple of bl-"

The word was cut off as a pain suddenly flared in her neck, and Alex raised a hand to the spot. A needle. Looking up at the man, she tried to speak, to scream, to alert someone. But no noise came out.

She was only dimly aware of him holding her up, moving her towards a car.

"Is she okay?" a passer-by asked, but Alex couldn't reply, her head was lolling, and only a small groan came out as she felt sleep creeping nearer.

"Guess your fancy New York cocktails are stronger than the stuff back home," the man laughed, slurring a word or two himself. "She'll be okay once we're back at the hotel, thank you, Ma'am."

Alex managed to utter a, "No…", but the woman had already moved on, content with the ruse.

She couldn't stand at all now, her assailant had to lift her to get her into the car. Dumping her carelessly on the backseat, he then moved to the driver's seat, and started to drive towards the south of the island.

Not that Alex which way they were going. She was already unconscious, her fingers curled in the collar of James' jacket.


	8. Chapter 8

"Wake up, Princess…"

The voice drifted to Alex through a fog, the words reaching her ears, but she couldn't quite understand them. That voice… She knew she knew that voice,

She knew she didn't like whoever it belonged to.

But a sharp tap on Alex's forehead forced her into reality, and she blinked a few times before she could properly open her eyes. She felt awful. Groggy, confused, her body felt like lead. Her limbs were so numb that it took Alex a few moments to realise another reason why she could barely move. She'd been tied up. Cable ties bound her ankles together and her hands behind her back, fastened so tightly that they were biting into her skin.

Looking up, Alex's eyes finally focused on her captors, and the figures in front of her were suddenly, horribly, recognisable. She supposed that she shouldn't really be surprised. And yet she had hoped she would never encounter one of them again, and the other at all. Brock Rumlow. And Sinthea Schmidt. She really should have guessed.

"Took yer long enough to wake up." Rumlow's voice was no less unpleasant when she could concentrate on him properly. "You looked better the last time I saw yer." She couldn't stand that awful smirk.

Determined to look Sin in the eyes, Alex stated (with a confidence that surprised her), "He won't fall for this. James will know that this is a trap, and he won't come." While she trusted James to help her, Alex hoped to God that he wouldn't come, wouldn't put this whole trial and his freedom at risk just for her. There were plenty of other people that could defeat Sin and Rumlow – or maybe she'd get a chance to escape from them – but James could ruin his life by trying to rescue her.

Sin merely laughed. It was a dry, raspy, pained sound. "You underestimate him. Or overestimate, perhaps. Captain America will come here, because he is an idiot. His place as a traitor to this terrible country will be confirmed, he will be executed, or at least locked up for the rest of his life, and I might get to wound him through you as a little bonus."

"But… You're not trying to kill him?"

"Don't sound so disappointed." Before Alex could object to that, Sin continued, "Why would I kill him? After everything your precious fiancé has done to my father, done to me, I could never be content with simply killing him." Sin advanced on Alex, leaning down so that they were almost nose for nose. "I want to destroy him entirely. I want to ruin James Buchanan Barnes. His reputation. His future. His loved ones." She drew back, dealing Alex a kick to the midriff, and grinning at her grunt of pain. "His family. And that, 'future Mrs Barnes', means you."

Groaning softly as she tried to sit up, a dull pain in her stomach from the kick, Alex surprised herself with her response. "If you're going to kill me, then just do it. I've listened to enough speeches from enough 'villains' over the las few years and, believe me, I really don't want to hear another."

Across the room, Rumlow barked a laugh. "You've got some more fire in you than the last time we met, Princess. I expected some more crying and pleading. Clearly, locking up yer boyfriend has done you some good."

"Shut up," Alex spat, unable to disguise how the words had gotten to her. The idea of benefiting from what James was going through, even on such a small level, and even if she didn't think it was true, was awful. Her next words were less bold, her brief moment of confidence had already slipped away. "Just get it over with," she mumbled, eyes on the floor.

"You really are stupid," Sin sighed, and Alex flinched ever so slightly at the comment. "Killing you is too easy as well. I want you to suffer, I want him to know that you suffered." A small smile formed on her charred lips. "But, before we get to that, there's someone who'd like to speak to you." The smile turned into a grin. "Although, wonderfully, I don't think you'll enjoy talking to him."

Before her still tired mind could come to the conclusion of who it was, the man stepped through the door. No longer in prison orange, Norman Osborn was wearing a fine, expensive suit, complete with green silk tie. His smirk, however, remained unchanged.

Immediately, adrenaline surged through Alex's body. Sin and Rumlow frightened her, of course, but they were nothing compared to him. Sitting bolt upright, Alex began to struggle against the ties around her wrists and ankles. Shaking her head violently, her eyes were wide and panicked, and her voice was caught in her throat.

To the side, Rumlow was laughing. "Fuck, I wish we could film this part. I'd love to see Barnes watching this."

"Remember, Rumlow, I'm currently 'in prison'," Norman said, sounding strangely amused and bored at the same time. "I trust neither of you need reminding what will happen if word of this gets out."

Rumlow muttered something that sounded like, "Yeah, I know, I know," and walked over to Sin when she beckoned him. "Have fun, Lexi," he smirked at Alex as the two of them left the small room, closing the door behind them.

"Please, don't leave me alone with him!" Alex had expected to scream the words, but they came out in a terrified whisper.

Norman, however, seemed perfectly at ease. Alex had no doubt that he was. From his pocket, he suddenly produced a small knife, and a whimper came from Alex as he came towards her with it. But it never touched her skin - instead Norman quickly and cleanly cut away the binds, freeing her hands and feet.

"No need for those," he commented as he stood up, offering Alex a hand.

Shakily getting to her feet without his help, Alex immediately shrank against the wall, looking around for a way out, for any way to get away from the man who frightened her more than anything. There was an oddly shaped window to her right, but she could only see blue out of it. Where were they? Somewhere high up, she assumed, so jumping was out of the question.

"Liberty Island," Norman said, answering the question Alex hadn't asked. "At the top of the statue. I'd tell you not to bother trying to get out, but you aren't that dim."

"What do you want?" Her voice was still little more than a whisper.

He laughed softly. Alex hated how casual he sounded. Norman remained where he was, gleaming green eyes fixed on Alex. "Nothing more than to speak to you. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"I'm not doing this," Alex said hurriedly, shaking her head again, trying to look anywhere but at him. "How are you even here? You said it yourself, you're supposed to be in jail!"

Another laugh, louder this time, sharper. "After everything, do you really think that a simple prison can contain me? Rest assured, I will be back there before anyone knows that I am gone – anyone who is not already loyal to me, anyway – and no-one will believe that I ever left, should you try to tell them so."

Realising, Alex's shoulders sank a little. "You're paying the prison guards, aren't you?"

"I don't need to pay them. One or two have received money as a little bonus, but many are willing to follow me simply because they still believe in me. Power, my dear, is worth far more than money."

Looking at the floor, Alex was fighting the panic that welled inside her. "Please… Please don't- don't do anything to me…" Her voice broke a little.

"Believe me, Alexandria, I am only here to talk to you. For now. You see, there are some things that I don't think you understand. There is so much more to this, to _you_ that you know. You belong to me, Alexandria. You have since the moment you stepped into my laboratory all that time ago. But it goes deeper still." He was advancing on her now, closing the distance between them slowly with small steps. "I own you. I let you go, and you therefore owe me your life. I could have come for you at any time while I was with H.A.M.M.E.R., but I let you be. And yet, all that time, I wanted you. And I'm not too proud to admit that I'm not sure why. But I have never been a man to admit defeat. And I don't think you can truthfully say that I am not in your head as much as you are in mine."

Norman was almost up against her now, and Alex turned her head away, not wanting to look at him. And yet, she couldn't help but do so, her eyes stayed on him out of some sort of horrified curiosity.

"We have a connection. You were the first person to ever see me as I truly am, did you know that? The rest of the world may have found out about the Goblin, but you were the first. We both know that that means something. We are bound to each other, you and I, and I am not going to leave that bind to rest for much longer."

Alex blinked, finally able to look away from him. What was he saying? It was true that she thought about Norman a lot; constant worry and paranoia surrounded her, frightened that he was watching her, that he was going to abduct her, that he was going to hurt her or, even worse, someone she cared about. But she had truly thought that he might have forgotten about her, after all, he had had much more to concern himself with.

Clearly, she had been wrong.

"I don't understand," she managed to say eventually, beginning to edge to her left as slowly as she could. "What do you want? We're not connected, I- I don't understand…"

Norman shook his head, before clarifying, "You mean something to me."

The penny dropped with a sickening thud.

"A- Are you saying… Do you think you're in love with me?"

The smile had returned to Norman's lips. "I'm not sure. But I am intrigued to find out."

All concept of subtly had gone from Alex's mind, and she suddenly ran to the side, reaching for the door, even if she knew it would be locked.

But she never made it. Norman caught her wrist as she tried to run past him, and he turned her effortlessly, pinning her back against his chest. One arm was across her waist, the other hand came up to brush her hair from her face. Alex felt no care in the gesture, it felt predatory, dominating, assaulting.

"Shh…" he whispered, his mouth against her ear, and Alex couldn't stop herself from gasping slightly in revulsion. Norman moved his lips down and, on the spot where he'd bitten her in the laboratory, he placed a kiss. "You could have so much, Alex, you really could. How many times has Barnes put you in danger, hm? How many times have you cried for him, worried that you would be alone?" The hand that had been on her cheek moved to grip her hand. "You needn't go through that."

While she couldn't see him, Alex could hear the grin in Norman's voice. "This world needs a king, Alex. And, soon enough, I will rise to that station. I will build a family. An empire. A pantheon. And I will stand atop it all as the Goblin King." He spun her to face him, one hand still firmly holding hers and his arm around her back now, forcing her to stay close to him. "You could be there with me. You'd want for nothing, I can promise you that, you would be mine, and I would look after you."

For a moment, there was total silence. And then Alex pulled away from Norman and, to her surprise, he let her. She staggered back, putting as much space between them as she physically could.

And she looked at him again. But there was anger in her eyes this time, defiance, horror, venom.

"I am not yours. I will never, _ever_ be yours. Tell yourself whatever the hell you want, but you are not in love with me, and, if you really think you are, then you're even crazier than anyone thought. I love James. And, even if I didn't, I would still never love you."

Another silence.

"Time will tell, Alexandria." The smile had faded from Norman's face, and he seemed much sterner now. "And the time of the Goblin King will come, believe me. And everything will change." He smirked, and it was an expression far more frightening than his previous grins. It was almost as if the Goblin mask was set into his very skin. "And, if you thought H.A.M.M.E.R. was impressive, you haven't seen anything yet."

Alex could feel the blood draining from her face as Norman turned his back and walked to the door. "Goodbye, Alex," he called, not looking at her. "See you soon."

And then he was gone, the door was closed, and she was alone.


	9. Chapter 9

She felt sick. Norman's words were going around and around Alex's head, as if the mere memory of him was enough to hold her prisoner. He thought he was in love with her.

It didn't matter that Norman had said that he wasn't sure, the simple idea that he might be disgusted Alex. After what he hadn't threatened to do to her, he'd now decided that what he felt towards her was love?

No.

She knew what it meant to be in love, and she knew how it felt to be loved in return. Whatever sick desire that Norman had, it wasn't love.

But that didn't stop it from frightening her.

Alex hadn't even realised that she'd sunk back down to the floor until Rumlow and Sin walked in, when she jumped back to her feet.

"Easy, kitten," Rumlow laughed, clearly enjoying how shaken she was. After Sin motioned her hand at him, Rumlow moved towards Alex, grabbing her tightly and beginning to wind more plastic ties back around her ankles, easily stopping her from kicking out. "Does Barnes like tying you up like this?" he smirked. "Lucky for you, I've got a much prettier woman to take care of."

Despite how scared she was, Alex couldn't help but think it was strange to see Rumlow answering to someone else. Jesus, Sin must be more of a piece of work than Alex had realised if she had Brock Rumlow on a leash.

Once he had her hands and feet bound, Rumlow dropped Alex to the floor, and walked back to Sin, who had put down the strange devices she'd been carrying.

"Your Knight in Red and Blue pyjamas is almost here," Sin called from the doorway, regarding Alex as if she were nothing more than an irritating fly. She looked almost… tired, but the amusement hadn't completely vanished from her expression.

"Don't hurt him," Alex said again instinctively, even though she knew it was pointless. She felt so guilty, James probably wouldn't have risked coming here if it weren't for her (although, to be fair, his track record with running off to do irresponsible and impulsive things wasn't exactly good).

Rolling her eyes, Sin commented, "Shut up," before beckoning to Rumlow. "Osborn ran over. Stall the American moron for a few moments while I finish setting up."

Having sat up again, Alex's eyes followed Sin as she began to place a handful of small black and red blocks around one edge of the room, leaving the larger, grey apparatus near the door. And Alex didn't need experience in the field to guess what they were. Explosives.

"Sin, please, you don't have to do this." Alex received no response other than a genuine laugh. "I'm serious. I know you think James has wronged you and your father, but you must understand that he was just trying to stop people from getting hurt. What happened to you wasn't James' fault." Alex took a deep breath. "What happened to your face wasn't James' fault. Or mine. Your father is the one responsible for the things that have happened to you. It might not be too late, they can still help you- Ah!"

The cry came as Sin suddenly rounded on Alex, kicking her hard in the chest. "Be grateful that I didn't throw you out that window!" Sin snarled – the fury in her eyes matching the red of her scars. "Shut up, you pathetic little rat, before I change my plan and murder you right here and now."

Coughing hard, Alex stayed shrunk against the wall, and kept her mouth shut this time. Her head had struck the stone with the force of the kick, dazing her a little, but the world came back into focus in time for her to see James run into the room.

Alex could just about hear Sin mutter, "Dammit, Brock, you were supposed to stall him."

But, despite the mutter, there was a sickly grin on her face when she turned to him. Strolling over to Alex, Sin called, "You got my pictures then, Barnes?" Pictures? Pictures of her, Alex realised, Sin had to have told James they were here somehow. "It took you less time to get here than I thought; I wanted to get a lot more done before you arrived." " She shot a meaningful and menacing look at Alex. "But we'll have to save it for a later date. At least I can cross one thing off my to-do list."

Just as James raised his arm to throw the shield, Alex saw Sin click a red button down on a small remote she'd been holding. She just managed to scream, "James, look out!"

Not that it did any good.

The few small bombs went off with a 'bang' much louder than Alex had anticipated, the force of them causing her to fall on her side, Sin to stumble, and James, who had been the closest, to be thrown across the room.

"James? James!"

She saw him begin to stagger to his feet as Sin crossed the room, and Alex cried his name again as she righted herself.

"Learn to stay down when you've been blown up, idiot," Sin shot, kicking his hand as he reached for the shield, and then dealing another blow to his head.

"I'd stay to kill you," she said casually, strapping something to her back. What was that thing? "But I've got a long flight ahead of me."

_A jetpack? _Alex thought to herself incredulously, but the thought was confirmed as Sin moved to the hole she'd blown in the side of the room, and kicked the contraption into life.

James had scrabbled across the room, cut the tie around Alex's hands, and had begun cutting the one around her ankles when he realised what Sin was doing. "No you d- don't… You don't get to do all of this, and just get away!" He snapped the remaining plastic with his hands, and then darted away.

"No, James, no!" Alex shrieked, running to the gap in the wall a second too late to stop him. She watched, horrified, as James grabbed hold of Sin's ankle and the two of them went higher, higher, higher. If he fell, there was no way he'd survive. "James!"

She couldn't hear what Sin said, but she didn't need to. The bang and flash of the gun told enough of a story. And, while James' uniform could withstand those bullets, the blast was enough to push him backwards, for him to lose his grip. Crying his name again, Alex leant forward and reached a hand out to him, even though she knew he was too far away from her. She could do nothing but watch as James fell, tumbling down, down, down towards the solid ground below.

But James never hit the ground. Seemingly out of nowhere, Sam had flown as fast as he could and, seeing James fall, had changed his trajectory, heading towards his friend. And, just in the nick of time, he caught him.

As Sam and James landed safely on the ground, Alex couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed to her knees, the wind catching her hair and causing it to fall around her face. Tears of relief spilled from her eyes, and she barely noticed Sam land beside her, pick her up, and bring her down to where Steve and Natasha were checking James over.

Thank God he hadn't come alone.

But when her feet hit the ground, Alex seemed to snap back into herself. After squeezing Sam's hand as a quick 'thank you', she ran to James, throwing her arms around him just as he lifted her into his, and for a while they simply clung to each other, terrified of letting go.

After almost a minute, however, Alex moved back, looking up at James in a mixture of relief and worry. "What the hell, James?!" she cried, although her tone didn't match how her hands were now gently cupping his cheeks. "You can't be here!"

"There was no way I was going to leave you with them!" James argued back.

"You ran away from your trial, they'll crucify you for this!" Alex replied, her voice falling to little more than a whimper. "Oh God, James…"

He pulled her close, one hand cradling her head as the other arm wrapped around her, and James found that he was crying with her. Alex was safe, and that was the most important thing for him, but that didn't mean he wasn't scared about what was going to happen next. There would be consequences, and he wouldn't be at all surprised if they were severe.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked, sniffing and trying to pull himself together.

"No. I'm okay, she didn't hurt me badly." Which was true, but Alex felt like she was lying to James. What was she supposed to tell him about Norman? He would panic at just knowing that she had spoken to him, let alone that he was able to go in and out of prison as he pleased, and that he was clearly planning something big.

And, while she wouldn't hide this from him for ever, or ever for very long, she couldn't burden him with it now. Not when there was so much to deal with first.

James looked over her face. He could see that there was something wrong, something more than what was happening around them, but a call from Steve distracted him from asking what it was.

"My God… She gave it a black eye…"

Both James and Alex looked up to what the others had already seen. The Statue of Liberty, with a giant hole where her left eye had used to be.

"Fuck," James grunted, running a hand through his hair. "On my watch…"

"Your watch?" Steve echoed, angrier than Alex had seen him in a long time. "You're not even supposed to be here! You know that Sam, Nat, and I could have handled this!"

James stepped towards Steve. He wasn't confrontational, but apologetic. Almost sheepish. "I wasn't going to let Alex be sacrificed to save myself. Sin sounded like she had been planning to kill her."

A sigh came from Steve. "Damn it. Luring you out here… Sin might have just ruined whatever chance you had, Buck…"

"I know."

He turned back to Alex. She was standing with her head bowed. She looked like she was going to fall apart any second. James quickly gathered her back into his arms, letting her cry into his chest. And he could hear her mumbling the words, "I'm sorry…" Over and over.

"Don't be," he whispered, kissing the top of her head tenderly. And then, a little louder, he added, "I'd do it again." He moved away just enough to walk with Alex, his arm still around her. "So, let's go face the music."


	10. Chapter 10

_**It's finally finished! Thank you for sticking with me through the long periods of no updates, I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten (and will absolutely appreciate some more ;])**_

_**Again, a lot of the dialogue in the courtroom is taken from the original comic book, so credit for that goes to Ed Brubaker :)**_

* * *

The words 'pissed off' did not do enough justice to how the judge was feeling. And, if the judge's anger had lit his fuse, then Bernie had already exploded. Alex hadn't been there when Bernie had been set loose on James the night before but, judging from her expression, she was less than sympathetic. Which was fair enough, really, Steve had been right. It didn't have to be James who'd gone after Alex, the others would have been able to handle it. But, naturally, Alex could easily see the argument from James' perspective as well. Had their roles been reversed, she would have done anything to save her fiancé.

She supposed that it had, ironically, been helpful of Sin to inform James of Alex's capture by, according to Sam, creating a stir in the centre of the courtroom. Apparently, James had saved the life of the prosecuting attorney when a gunman had entered the court, interrupting a display of the powers of mind control, and handing over a tape. A tape which contained both a message from Sin and footage of Alex, tied up and unconscious. As stupid a thought as it was, Alex couldn't help but be a little irritated that the entire courtroom had seen her bound and helpless. At least it demonstrated the exact reason that James had escaped the van taking him back to prison. Everyone had seen that it hadn't been for vengeance or anything else untoward, but to protect the woman he loved.

That had to help, didn't it?

Given that the judge's face looked like thunder, however, Alex wasn't sure how confident she was of this. There was no way that he would let it slide, even if he hadn't seemed furious. She could only hope and pray that it wouldn't take too much away from James' case. That she wouldn't be the reason he was sent to prison. James would forgive her, she knew he would. He probably wouldn't even blame her. But Alex would never forgive herself.

Whether to punish James already or to ensure that nothing was missed, the judge had lifted the ban on members of the press being inside the courtroom. The formerly spacious room was now crammed, not only with reporters and photographers, but also cameras, microphones, dictaphones, cell phones, pens, notepads, tablets… Not to mention all of the lights and flashes that the electronics emitted.

At least Peter and a few of her other friends from _The Daily Bugle_ were there. Even Mr. Jameson managed a nod and a slight twitch of his mouth at her, the closest she had ever seen him get to a genuine smile. It might have been small, but it meant a lot. She probably owed him an interview after how accommodating he'd been.

"Disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it, Mr. Barnes." Definitely not a great start, then. "You were given strict instructions by myself and Commander Rogers to let others handle the situation. And, instead, you broke free of custody and went to play hero. And, while I understand that someone close to you was in danger, do not think those actions won't affect any sentence passed by this court."

A murmur went through the crowd, but Alex kept her eyes firmly on James.

"I know, Your Honour," was all he said. And, while most people wouldn't notice it, Alex could hear just how frightened he was. And who could blame him? Despite everything he'd seen, done, and been through, James was still only twenty two years old, and looking a potential life prison sentence. Emotion welled inside Alex, and she wished she could comfort him, that she could even just hold his hand.

But all she could do was sit and listen and wait.

"Let's move on to the closing statements."

Bernadette Rosenthal stood, letting the room settle before she began. And, however angry she must have been, she didn't let it show. "The defendant's case is a very simple one, Your Honour, which I believe we've more than proved." In fact, she uses the previous day's events to make her point. "Admonish him for his escape, but my client saved lives yesterday. And he turned himself back in. He's a good man who's been used by others against his will, and who's struggled to earn redemption for the things he was _forced_ to do. The simple fact is that James Barnes is not guilty, certainly not beyond a reasonable doubt."

A smile – a small smile, but a smile nonetheless – came to Alex's face as Bernie finished her statement. Steve had certainly not been wrong in putting his faith in her, she was nothing short of brilliant.

But the smile instantly dropped away as Blake Tower stood up.

"So, James Buchanan Barnes _escaped _yesterday, but he should be forgiven because he turned himself back in? This gets to the root of why I asked to prosecute this case, Your Honour." He _asked_ to prosecute James? _Asked_ to potentially send her fiancé to prison? "When is anything ever their fault? By them, I mean the 'superhero' community, of course." Tower reached a hand behind him to indicate the gallery, where Steve, Sam, and probably many other known powered people were sitting. "When does the law apply to them? Or have we simply made so many concessions to them that it simply no longer does? Is it time to admit that?"

Tower turned, speaking now to the public. "How many times have our cities been attacked, our buildings blown up, and our citizens killed? And all we hear is: 'It wasn't me, it was a Skrull'. Or 'I was possessed by a demon from another dimension'. Or," and now he looked directly at James, "'I was under mind control'. So I ask you, Your Honour…" Alex was glad he was facing the bench again, so that Tower couldn't see the look of thunder in her eyes. "… When is one of these masked men ever to blame? When is-"

But Tower wasn't allowed to finish his argument. Because, to the shock of the entire room, James had stood up.

"He's right, Your Honour."

Alex didn't know who the cry of, "What?!" had come from; so many people in the room had uttered it. Steve, Sam, Sharon, Bernie, Betty, Peter, maybe even herself.

"Sit down!" Bernie hissed at him, tugging on his sleeve.

"No." James sounded so calm, so completely in control. The fear was still there, but it was masked by something else now. Conviction. Guilt. "No, I want to change my plea, Your Honour."

"James, no…" Alex didn't know when she'd gotten to her feet, but she was on them now, stepping as close to the divider as she could. "James…"

His brown eyes were shiny, glittering with unfallen tears. "He's right, sweetheart. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I'm doing this to you, and I-," his voice broke, "I hope you can forgive me. But Tower's right." James raised his voice, addressing the whole courtroom, although his attention stayed on Alex. "Someone has to take responsibility. The things I did, I _wasn't_ in control. But they were done with my hands, and my skills. And the only honourable thing I should do," he managed a smile at Steve, "The only thing Captain America should do is plead guilty. So… Yeah. I plead guilty, Your Honour."

His eyes met Alex's again, and he took her hand, raising it to his lips and pressing a gently kiss to her palm. "I love you, Alex." His voice was much softer, and a tear escaped as his voice cracked again. "Come visit me, yeah?"

Alex nodded, trying and failing to smile for him as he let her hand go. Both Sam and Sharon had their arms around her before she'd even properly sat down, and Alex was sobbing silently into Sam's chest as Sharon rubbed her shoulder.

The judge seemed to expect uproar. But, aside from a few gaps and the continued camera shutters, there was almost no noise. "Very well, Mr. Barnes… Then… Then we'll proceed to sentencing."

Whether it was a few seconds, or a few hours, Alex could barely tell, but the judge looked over the whole courtroom, at James, at Bernie, at Steve, at her, at Tower… And then he spoke again.

"In looking at this case, I had to see a bigger picture. Not just the charges against you, but the circumstances around those acts, _and_ the things you have done as Captain America. The display of mind control that we saw yesterday in addition to the testimonies we have heard gave me many doubts about where the fault lies here. And now, you step up and do something few men would do in your place." He swallowed. "So, I sentence you to twenty years."

Alex's body shuddered slightly. Twenty years. Twenty years without James. They would be in their forties when they got out. Their relationship, their marriage, their family would go on hold for two decades.

But at least it wasn't forever.

"But.."

But? Alex sat up, her eyes moving between James and the judge.

"I'm commuting the sentence to time served."

For a moment, the entire courtroom was quiet. Even the clicking of the cameras seemed to fade away into silence.

And it was Steve who broke it. "You lucky bastard!" he grinned at James.

And suddenly everyone was moving, reporters were trying to capture the moment that James realised he was free, trying to catch Bernie, trying to catch Alex, Steve, Tower, the judge.

And even the judge was smiling. "I can't say if you deserve to wear the Captain America uniform, son, but I _know_ you don't belong in a jail cell."

And Alex was on her feet, the biggest smile on her face, laughing and crying at the same time as James turned to her, pushing his chair out of the way to get to her, to put his arms around her.

And suddenly he was lifting her over the barriers, and Alex's feet didn't touch the floor again as she held her legs either side of his, her knees resting against his thighs as her hands tangled up in his hair. She could feel James hand in her hair as well, and they were still smiling and laughing and crying as their lips met, their tears mixing together as they fell. Under normal circumstances, the two of them would have been mortified at all of the people watching them, but neither Alex or James cared about the photographers or the video cameras or the reporters.

He was free. He was a free man. They could go home together and never have to worry about the law coming after the Winter Soldier again.

Steve and Bernie were ushering them out of the room, and James finally set Alex down, holding onto her hand as if he would never let go. As they approached the car waiting to take them home, James briefly let go of her to throw his arms around Steve and Bernie in turn, thanking each of them with tears still streaming down his cheeks. Sharon and Sam got their own hugs as well, with James swearing to attend a party in the Tower at some point to celebrate his freedom.

Once in the car, James pulled Alex into his lap (seatbelts be damned) and just held her, her face resting in the crook of his neck, his fingers running through her hair, her hand curled up in his shirt, his cheek against hers.

They didn't speak. They didn't need to. They were silent until the car pulled up outside the apartment, just listening to each other's heartbeat and breathing.

But there was already a crowd of press outside their apartment building. James made a noise that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a laugh. "You reporters are insatiable," he smirked at Alex, lifting his hands to wipe away the smudges of makeup under her eyes.

Thanking the driver as he opened the door for them, James kept his arm around Alex as they dashed through the mob (who had, surprisingly considered enough to leave them a path to their door. Grinning still, James scooped Alex into his arms bridal style as the door closed, carrying her up the stairs to their home. He even managed to unlock the door with her still held, pulling a face at her as she laughed at his fumbling with the keys.

Crossing the threshold, he eventually put Alex down, put not before bringing his lips to hers in a much deeper kiss than the one they'd shared in the courtroom.

"I love you," they said at the same time, resting their foreheads together for a moment.

But the noise of the reporters could still be heard, and James peaked out the window, shook his head, and laughed. "I guess the entirety of the New York press knows where we live, then."

"We're going to need to move," Alex replied, but she was still smiling.

"Good," James said, pulling her back to him and kissing her deeply. "Let's go somewhere bigger, in some better neighbourhood. I'm thinking two, maybe three bedrooms, nice kitchen, big living room, hey, maybe even a roof garden. Safe neighbourhood, parks, coffee shops, the closest thing you can get to a suburb in Manhattan."

"You? Wanting a suburban life?" Alex giggled. "I never thought I'd see the day."

He grinned, lifting her left hand and pressing a kiss over her engagement ring. "Hey, I'm a free man." And he kissed her lips again, humming softly as he did so. "We've got a big life ahead of us, baby doll. And it starts right now."


End file.
